Live streaming, Kumamoto Masters Japan 2023 badminton: HS Prannoy set for comeback - where to watch

HS Prannoy is set to make a comeback on the BWF World Tour at the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2023 badminton tournament, starting from Tuesday.

The 31-year-old Prannoy, India’s only men’s single player inside the top 10 of the badminton rankings, has not played in a BWF tournament since winning a historic bronze medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. He was forced to pull out of the Denmark and French Opens due to a back injury.

The Indian badminton player, seeded seventh, will be up against an unseeded Lee Cheuk Yui of Hong Kong in the opening round of the men’s singles.

Results at the Kumamoto Masters Japan, a BWF Super 500 tournament, will count towards players’ qualifying rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympics. All matches will be live streamed in India.

The qualification window for badminton started on May 1 this year and will end in April 2024. World No. 17 Lakshya Sen and world No. 23 Kidambi Srikanth will also hunt for crucial ranking points to improve their chances for the Paris 2024 Olympics in men’s singles.

Lakshya Sen will have his task cut out against third seed Kodai Naraoka of Japan while Srikanth has been handed a favourable draw. Srikanth, a former world No. 1 player, will be against one of the qualifiers. 

Priyanshu Rajawat, world No. 30, got promoted from the qualifiers and will face Lin Chun-Yi of Chinese Taipei in the main draw. 

PV Sindhu, who opted to get protective rankings, will not compete in the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournament. 

In the men’s singles, top-seeded Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, world No. 5, will start against Chinese Taipei’s world No. 21 pair of Ching Yao Lu and Po Han Yang.

There are no Indian shuttlers in the women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles events.

Where to watch Kumamoto Masters Japan 2023 badminton live in India

Live streaming of Kumamoto Masters Japan 2023 badminton matches will be available on the Badminton World Federation’s official YouTube channel, BWF TV. The event will not be telecast live on any TV channel in India.

Kumamoto Masters Japan 2023: Indian badminton squad

Men’s singles: HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Priyanshu Rajawat

Men’s doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty